Study: Teens need to be more active throughout the day

A recent study published in Preventive Medicine and reported by Time showed that “19-year-olds spent as much time being inactive and sedentary as 60-year-olds.”

The study, which used activity trackers to monitor movement and sedentary time, found that children in school were most active between the hours of 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. According to researchers, a single window of activity is less ideal than breaking movement into chunks throughout the day, which could actually encourage kids to move more.

Insight into the timing of exercise led the study’s senior author, Vadim Zipunnikov, to consider how certain age groups may be more likely to move during certain times of the day. He cited one of the major contributors to low levels of activity, especially in teens, was lack of sleep, and recent research suggests that school start times could play a role.

Share your ideas. What are some strategies you use to get kids and teens active throughout the day?

Jaime Neefs, a kinesiology graduate and child life specialist, can almost always be found on a soccer field. Turf or grass, she's out there using her 20+ years playing experience to coach and referee youngsters just starting out. Besides soccer, Jaime enjoys running, road tripping, and adding bacon to every recipe. Follow Jaime on Twitter, @_JaimeNeefs.

Active For Life

Active for Life is the place where parents go to learn about activities for kids. Physical education leads to physical literacy, which is critical for child development. Physical literacy also gives active kids the best chance to someday compete in high-performance sport. Kids activities are organized here by age and gender, so parents can find fun and engaging ways of making sure their children get the recommended daily amount of physical activity. Activities for toddlers are aimed at the development of fundamental movement skills, while activities for children build on the fundamentals to establish more complex sport skills that can be used to play any number of sports and activities. Exercises for kids enhance their physical development. In the early stages of child growth, early childhood development is dependent on appropriate exercises for children. Because kids play is good for kids health.